Operations Manager - UK
profine UK are looking to recruit an operations manager based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, to support the growth and introduction of a new UK KÖMMERLING 76mm casement, residential door and fully reversible system.Read More

People

Callum Grant has been appointed as Managing Director NORSCOT only a few months before his thirtieth anniversary with the business. He also retains his current title of Commercial Director. Read More

HEGLA Managing Director Manfred Vollbracht has retired shortly before his 66th birthday, after more than 41 years of active involvement.Read More

Liverpool based
ODL Europe has announced the appointment of former Veka head of sales Nathan Barr as Managing Director for the business as successor to Mark Towers who has left to pursue other business interests.Read More

Machinery

GGR Group, has unveiled for purchase and hire what it says is the UK’s largest glazing robot.Read More

G 17 Awards

The DW3 PRODUCTS GROUP has had three of its brands, Solidor, Residence Collection and Window Widgets, reach the finals of this year’s G-Awards in no fewer than five categories. Read More

REYNAERS has been shortlisted for the G17 Awards for its Any Space Transformed campaign, the fifth year in a row that the company has been among the finalists.Read More

The VEKA Group is celebrating with nominations in two categories of the G17 Awards, as well as congratulating a number of its customers for their own nominations.Read More

Ritec International has congratulated long-standing ClearShield customer, GO GLASS with reaching two finals at the G17 Awards. This Cambridge-based company is shortlisted for Glass Company of the Year and Unsung Hero at this event.Read More

Events

AGC GLASS EUROPE will be showcasing Halio smart-tinting glass at the ZAK World of Façades conferenceRead More

Architects and window installers are invited to attend a breakfast event in Belfast hosted by VELUX tomorrow (Sep 27) that ‘challenges the use of daylight to transform homes and schools into sustainable and healthy indoor learning environments.’Read More

SUPALITE the manufacturer and supplier of solid roof tiled systems, held its 3rd Annual Fabricator Conference and praised three of its fabricators for their growth over the last 12 months.Read More

More than 150 invited guests attended to see business guru Lord Digby Jones officially open Liniar House, the HL PLASTICS company’s new 178,000ft² facility.Read More

Charities

Generous support from across the industry has helped EMPLAS, managing director Ryan Johnson raise more than £2,500 for Macmillan.Read More

SLIDERS UK has continued its support for a programme to bring rugby to some of India’s most deprived areas.Read More

Panel and composite door supplier Vista has joined the calls from a veterans charity for the fenestration industry to find more employment opportunities and support from for ex-service personnel.Read More

Contracts

Aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB GLASS has been awarded a contract to carry out structural glazing works at a luxury hotel in the countryside close to its Swansea base.Read More

Security

Lock Lock, the new security handle from BRISANT, has been subjected to salt spray for more than 2,000 hours in ongoing corrosion tests for EN 1906:2012.Read More

Investments

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent has officially opened the new 100,000 sq ft warehouse and manufacturing facilities at A PERRY & CO (HINGES) LTD.Read More

Trade Centres

Suppliers including Synseal, Rehau, Customade Group, Door-Stop, Solidor, Soudal and Rapierstar joined STEVENSWOOD branch and area managers at a two-day training event at its Branch Support Centre in Livingston.Read More

Organisations

National Glass Group has again expanded its membership with the introduction of the Cheshire-based, £12 million turnover Nova Group Limited.Read More

Training

Door hinge manufacturer SFS has extended its technical support for architects, interior designers and fit-out contractors with a new RIBA-Approved CPD seminar.Read More

Products

ALUPLAST has announced two new product variants: a grey substrate option to its Ideal 4000 window system including aluskin, a ‘clip-and-fix’ aluminium exterior finishing system, and a 32mm low-sightline fixed sash profile to its Lift-and-Slide door.Read More

ERA has launched a VS hardware range. Available in eight finishes with two new colours, Hardex Graphite and Antique BlackRead More

PREFIX SYSTEMS has made its Verandah available in any RAL colour, thanks to a new paint facility at its head office in Blackburn.Read More

Fabricator Focus

Wellingborough window and door manufacturer GLAZERITE has reassured customers that it has regained regained full operation of its systems within 27 hours after falling victim of the same ransomware virus that severely disrupted the NHS and TNT earlier this year.Read More

Fabricator / installer Andrew Wright Windows has expanded its range to include LUMI windows and doors and has installed on of the system’s display ‘pods’ in its showroom.Read More

Buckinghamshire based fabricator INCARNATION WINDOW SYSTEMS has seen demand for secondary glazing increase and is now producing 100 units a week.Read More

Lister Trade frames has been acquired from administration by Roy Frost’s GJB Holdings with further backing from industry entrepreneur Alan Rothwell.Read More

North East fabricator the TWR Group has opened a third factory only a year after opening its second.Read More

Projects

HUECK has supplied windows and doors for Hoola, a development of 360 individually designed homes set across two rippling glass towers in London’s Tidal Basin Street.Read More

Yorkshire fabricator DEMPSEY DYER worked with astragal bar supplier The Georgian Bar Company to produce a version of the Deceuninck Flush Sash that would overcome planners’ objections.Read More

More than 200 casement windows, in the Halo System10 profile from The Veka UK Group, were used by Bowater Projects in the refurbishment of Llys Yr Efail, a housing scheme for older people in Blaenau Gwent, for Linc Cymru Housing Association.Read More

The Planar frameless glass system and Optiwhite low-iron glass from PILKINGTON are being used to create a triple-glazed, triple height wall as part of a new extension at St Richard Reynolds Catholic College, Twickenham.Read More

Laminated glass rainscreen cladding reflecting the hexagonal shape of ice crystals was created by ALIVA UK for the Aurora Innovation Centre, a new extension to the British Antarctic Survey headquarters in Cambridge.Read More

Heat loss from large, timber-framed sash windows in the 150-year-old Thornhill House, part of St Gerard’s School in Bray, County Wicklow, was cut by almost 25% by the use of Spacia from PILKINGTON.Read More

Foam tapes from ISO-CHEMIE were specified to provide effective sealing of small tolerance gaps around new windows installed at a 30-room hotel development in London’s East End.Read More

Casement windows, circular frames, french doors and door combination frames, all based on the Spectus Elite 70 system were used by SOUTH CHESHIRE GLASS in a property near Nantwich, Cheshire.Read More

Airtightness and weather sealing for windows at the £15m headquarters of telephone answering service Moneypenny in Wrexham, was achieved with products from TREMCO ILLBRUCK.Read More

Doors

PHOENIX DOORS has rebranded its Continental and County 44mm flush-fitting composite door ranges under the ‘Sovereign’ brand.Read More

Frontier, a new series of solid timber core composite door leaves is due for launch next month by EPWIN WINDOW SYSTEMS.Read More

Glass

PRESS GLASS has added four new acoustic glasses to its offering, giving 114 variants in total.Read More

SAINT-GOBAIN BUILDING GLASS has launched Easypro, a coating aimed at making coated glass based on its “to be tempered” SGG Cool-Lite II more durable and robust.Read More

Marketing

THERMOSEAL GROUP is reporting highest ever ratings from its latest Customer Satisfaction Survey.Read More

YALE is launching a new national TV campaign next month on Channel 4, Sky, and ITV, to showcase the new Conexis L1 Smart Door LockRead More

Grey area

It’s a long-held grumble among everyone under 50 that older people seem to be the only ones with any money nowadays. And now, this week we hear two separate surveys showing that the old – not to mention the dear departed – may have far more influence on the retrofit market than many have given credit for.

First comes the news that equity release, the practice of borrowing on your home instead of leaving all of it to your undeserving offspring, is booming at the moment. And while many may be tempted to blow it all on whatever high-priced frivolity, we can be sure a big slice of such windfalls will be reinvested in adding a few home comforts. Read Story

For those who are fortunate enough to inherit, the boom in home ownership over the last half century means that more and more of the younger generations will find themselves with a home at little initial cost to themselves, so the temptation – or probable need – of a facelift must speak for itself for many of them. Read Story

Of course, neither of these phenomena, or indeed the growing power of of the grey pound, have been completely ignored by the industry but the coincidence of these two factors popping up their heads at the same time may be telling us it’s time to take a closer look.

This Week's News

More homeowner go for equity release

Homeowners have released 50% more equity from their homes in the past three months than the previous quarter, while house sales have fallen in the same period, according to statistics published this week.

The figures, from equity release provider Responsible Equity Release, also show the number of householders choosing to release equity increased by 28.4% in the same period, and by86.6% against same quarter last year.

The provider says that equity release plans arranged by homeowners averaged more than £100,000 in June - August, with an average of £74,116 released from their properties immediately and an average additional borrowing facility of £35,514, to draw from, if and when they need the money.

Regionally, homeowners in the North West released more than double (102.3%) the amount of equity in August compared to July. While, the total amount of equity released by homeowners in the East of England in August was 55.3% higher than in July. Individually, Scottish homeowners released an average of £39,068 in August versus £23,702 in July, an increase of 64.8%.

A third of home inheritors will look to refit

More than a third of all UK adults are likely to inherit a property and nearly a third of all those will look to refurbish it before they put it up for sale or rent, according a survey released this week.

The research, by bridging lender MFS, shows that of the 36% of UK adults expecting to inherit, some 67% will choose not to live there and 55% will try to sell on as soon as possible and 32% will refurbish it before putting it on the sale or rental market.

The findings coincide with research from Royal London, which estimates that £400 billion worth of property will be passed from grandparents to younger generations in the coming decade.

While a significant number of adults already know what they are planning to do with the property they are inheriting, MFS’ research also revealed that one in four (25%, or 4.66 million adults) still have no idea what to do with the real estate being passed down to them. For millennials, this number jumps from 25% to 39%, with nearly two fifths of 18-34 year olds requiring advice to help decide what to do with their inherited property.

G17 – the finalists

It’s that time of year again. The shortlist of G17 finalists is out and 64 companies and individuals are all bursting to tell us about their achievement and holding their breath until the Awards evening.

So, from now until the event, on Friday 17 November at the London Hilton on Park Lane, we will publish our Hall Of Fame of the finalists as well as the fresh announcements and other news of the event in the usual column.

We Have Email

From: Kush Patel,
Deputy Managing Director, Emplas

Could installers be losing out on business by unnecessarily specifying laminated glass on windows in a ‘catch-all’ approach to the requirements under PAS24 and Secured by Design?

We believe retailers run the risk of losing out on business through the over-specification of laminated glass on ground floor windows. To achieve PAS24 and Secured by Design it is a requirement for laminate glass on all ground floor or easily accessible doors or accessible windows within 400mm of a door. This is designed to stop an intuder smashing a window and simply leaning in to release the door from the inside or to any accessible windows that are designated as fire escape.It’s a requirement in Part Q in new build and replacement markets if you’re installing replacement windows to an SBD specification.

From: Simon Beer,
Managing Director, Bluesky Certification

In this year’s Fire Door Safety Week there has never before been so much scrutiny on fire door product specification, manufacture, installation and maintenance. We are all aware how integral fire doors are when a fire breaks out in a building after the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower. Properly manufactured, installed and maintained fire doors help to ensure compartmentalisation of fire and stop the fire spreading inside the building.

The fire at Grenfell Tower, and before that Lakanal House, mean issues around fire safety are in the spotlight. It’s highlighted that whatever part in the supply chain, there’s potentially a personal liability if things go wrong. It might sound sensationalist, but would you be prepared to go to prison to secure a contract?